KENT, Wash. – Friday night in the Strikeforce Challengers 16 co-headliner in Kent, Wash., Matt Ricehouse (5-0 MMA, 3-0 SF) entered the Strikeforce cage for the third time and picked up his biggest win to date.

Despite his win over the son of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, who received the biggest ovation of the night, Ricehouse remains humble and said he has a long way to go before he is ready to challenge the top contenders in the Strikeforce lightweight division.

In studying tape on Couture, Ricehouse felt that one of his opponent’s strengths was in throwing straight punches. It was a tactic that he adopted as his own on Friday, and it led to considerable success.

“We thought that he was going to want to keep it standing, and we felt that I was better standing [than him],” he said. “So it was just about beating him with straight punches. I wanted to hit him with one-twos until he didn’t want to stand anymore.”

Ricehouse first got his start in gi jiu-jitsu before taking on Muay Thai training roughly one year later. Although previously regarded as a ground specialist, Ricehouse only took Couture down a handful of times. He attributed the strategy to Couture’s strength in the clinch.

“I would have taken him down any opportunity that I got because I think that I have a pretty good chance there as well,” he said. “But it’s exhausting fighting with a guy as big as he is if you’re trying to get it to the ground.”

Unconcerned with the hype surrounding Couture, Ricehouse knew that he needed to stick to his game plan in order to emerge victorious. He attributes the win to hard work in the gym, but any talk of moving up to face title contenders or fighting in main-event spots is premature.

“I’m not trying to make a run at the championship right now,” Ricehouse said. “I’m only 24, and I want to keep learning because I want to be a solid fighter. I’ll make a run [at the top] at a time when I know I’m legit and ready to win those fights. I want to keep fighting progressively tougher guys, but I don’t think that I’m in the running for main cards yet. I’ve seen those guys, and they’re tough. I’m still at this level for now, but I’m slowly making my way up to those main cards.”

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